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Morton County, Kansas
Morton County (standard abbreviation: MT) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 3,233. The largest city and county seat is Elkhart. History Morton County was named for Oliver Morton, who was a United States Senator from Indiana from 1867 to 1877.http://www.kshs.org/research/topics/kansasnewspapers/MortonCo.htm Until recently, Morton County was the only Kansas county in the media market of Amarillo, Texas. In early 2007, the Federal Communications Commission moved Morton into the Wichita market, along with the rest of western Kansas. Law and government Although the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 to allow the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with the approval of voters, Morton County has remained a prohibition, or "dry", county. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.997%) is land and (or 0.003%) is water. Adjacent counties * Stanton County (north) * Stevens County (east) * Texas County, Oklahoma (south) * Cimarron County, Oklahoma (southwest) * Baca County, Colorado (west) National protected area * Cimarron National Grassland (part) Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 3,496 people, 1,306 households, and 961 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 1,519 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.39% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 1.14% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 7.52% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. 14.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,306 households out of which 36.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.20% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.15. In the county the population was spread out with 29.30% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,232, and the median income for a family was $43,494. Males had a median income of $31,875 versus $19,474 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,076. About 8.50% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.00% of those under age 18 and 5.20% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns Incorporated cities Name and population (2004 estimate): * Elkhart, 2,081 (county seat) * Rolla, 453 * Richfield, 45 Unincorporated places * Wilburton Townships Morton County is divided into six townships. None of the cities within the county are considered governmentally independent, and all figures for the townships include those of the cities. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size. } |- | Jones || 35650 || || 17 || 0 (0) || 140 (54) || 0 (0) || 0% || |- | Richfield || 59225 || || 218 || 0 (1) || 649 (251) || 0 (0) || 0% || |- | Rolla || 60925 || Rolla || 650 || 2 (5) || 373 (144) || 0 (0) || 0% || |- | Taloga || 69975 || Elkhart || 2,437 || 17 (44) || 142 (55) || 0 (0) || 0% || |- | Westola || 77225 || || 107 || 0 (1) || 412 (159) || 0 (0) || 0.01% || |} Education Map of Morton County (map legend)]] Unified school districts * Rolla USD 217 * Elkhart USD 218 See also * Dry counties * Cimarron National Grassland References Further reading * History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook) * Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook),(Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook) External links ;Official * Morton County ;General county information * Blue Skyways - Morton County ;County Level Data * Kansas Statistical Abstract ;Maps * Morton County Map, KDOT * Kansas Highway Map, KDOT * Kansas Railroad Map, KDOT * Kansas School District Boundary Map, KSDE Category:Counties of Kansas Category:Morton County, Kansas Category:Established in 1886